The Keke Genkai Elite
by Arichos
Summary: A ragtag group of six orphans and there adventures
1. Chapter 1

The harsh snow of the winter months in the village hidden in the mists stabbed his skin with a piercing cold, but all he could do was shiver and twitch, hugging his arms closely in an attempt for warmth. His tattered clothes did little to help protect him; the only part that probably helped was the fact that he wore a black long sleeve beneath a white t-shirt that was filled with as many holes as a brick of swiss cheese. No shoes covered his gnarled feet, his little toe on the left foot missing from frost bite.

No one offered him shelter. No one offered him food, as he was clearly malnourished. His ragged white hair matched the flakes of snow, never cut in years and only held up by the blind fold that covered his eyes. Onlookers wondered how he could keep walking and not bump into anything or louse his direction. But they didn't bother to help him. No one ever did. Just because you were young and helpless didn't mean sympathy came easily as in fairy tales. Nobody cared enough.

"Seshiro?"

The young boy tilted his head up slightly to hear his name.

"Seshiro!" Arms wrapped themselves him, giving him goose bumps as the warmth met with the cold. "You must be freezing! Come on, follow me," the familiar female voice told him.

Seshiro shuddered, making the metal leash clink beneath his shirts.

"I don't wanna go back" he mumbled, his voice barely audible. "I'm done with homes and orphanages…"

"I'm not taking you back there," the girl replied quickly with a tone of spite in her voice. "We burned that place down a long time ago."

"Wait…" Seshiro said, stopping in mid-step. The girl stopped with him, her hands still on his back and holding onto his arm. Seshiro lifted his left, slowly feeling over her face and hair with his fingers. A girl with a thin face and blonde braided hair curling over a bandana came to his minds eye, and he smiled.

"Nata…I missed you."

Nata gave a warm smile before she gave him a gentle push to get him to start walking again.

"When did you burn that place?" Seshiro asked, carrying on with the previous subject.

"Not long after you left…maybe three months," Nata answered non shalant. "A new headmaster was hired. He was cruel…"

Seshiro chuckled "So was that woman before him…" he said almost with a mark of amusement.

"He was worse…" Nata replied darkly. "I'd show you my scars if you didn't need your blindfold on all the time."

"If I touch'm, I could see them," Seshiro told her. "but my hands are too numb for that.."

"Were almost there," Nata assured him.

With that, they walked the rest of the way in silence. Seshiro thought back to the old days at the orphanage. Headmistress Inga…A hardened and cruel elderly woman that would hit you over the head with her cane at the smallest mistakes. She was prejudiced against all of them, but then again, a lot of people were. All of them were victims of the Keke Genkai civil war that broke out all those years ago, left parentless and rejected with powers beyond imagination carried down by generations of families, only to be left to the last of there clans children.

Secretly, Seshiro had been taught since the day he could walk the ways of the ninja, which was the only way to keep the curse his family carried inside him truly under control. At the orphanage, Seshiro had trained many of them how to fight under the ninja principal, each gaining there own unique translation of the martial art. When the headmistress found out, he was harshly punished by her tenants. There were still a few deep red scars from the whip. But she got it in the end. Seshiro made his grand plan of escape, and his friends ended up killing the old bitch and still managed to make it look as if it was an accident.

"Were here," he heard Nata say, bringing him back the present. They were back down by the docks, heading down a set of steps beneath a long row of patched roofing consinting of tarp, old pieces of clothing and other pieces of cloth sewn together for weather proofing. It would have been a childs favorite place to play fort. A pile of rocks blocked the entrance with a young boy of eleven sitting on it as a guard. He too had a bandana, but his hair was spiked and cut short. He spat to the side as they approached, narrowing his eyes at Seshiro.

"Who the hell is this?" he asked with a froggy voice. "I keep telling you, we can't add new members!!"

"Shut your mouth Seichi," Nata snapped. "this happens to be an old friend of ours, who could easily kick your ass. Let us through."

Seichi glared at her, but with one last narrowed glance at Seshiro, he titled his head, gesturing for them to enter. Seshiro could sense Chakra eminating from Seichi, but it slowly faded after the boy had tilted his head and he climbed over the barrier with Nata's help.

"don't worry about him" Nata spat, taking his hand. "He came a little after you left, but he makes a great chakra wall that holds off anyone trying to destroy our home"

Hearing her voice bounce off the walls, Seshiro could see that beneath the long thatch roof, the friends from his childhood had made a makeshift home out of the walls on the right of the dock, blasting out large caves in the brick filled with hammocks and mats made from tattered and ripped pieces of clothing, quilts and other items they seemed to have taken from the dump. At the end of the long pathway there was a few barrels filled with dusty used coal and dead burned wood, a grill made of melded metal rods placed atop for cooking. At the moment, there was probably four people in this improvised home, but counting the beds, there was a total of six.

A young blonde boy standing beyond the barrels at the end of the tunnel was staring intensely at the waters with a long spear raisied in his hand, ready to strike.

"Takumi!" Nata called to him, but he suddenly twitched and threw the spear hard into the water before looking over his shoulder curiously. "Look whose come back!"

Takumi green eyes lit up with joy as he turned around and bound over to them. "Seshiro!" he cried, patting his old friends back, getting one in return as Seshiro smiled.

"Hey," he greeted, smiling. Takumi was small, and always had been. He was short, wiry, and living on the streets seemed to make him even smaller. His hair had almost grown to Seshiro's length, and looked just as rough and unkempt.

"Is Kiana here?" Seshiro asked, looking around.

"She's out with Satoshi," Takumi replied, "she'll be so happy to see you!"

Seshiro smiled a little, reaching out to hug Takumi. To be around old friends gave him an uplifting feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe it was because they all respected him as a sensei, or maybe it was just friends were the best thing to have.

"Whats up with everyone wearing bandanas?" he asked, seeing Takumi was wearing one too.

"There no ninja headbands," Takumi replied, reaching up to straighten his out. "But they mark all of us as members of the Genkai elite."

"Genkai elite?" Seshiro chuckled with a smile. "Watch who you say that too, they'll try and kill you."

"We only say that to each other," Nata rebukes him. "You think we've become dummer since you left?" she added jokingly.

"Its possible…" Seshiro answered with a sly grin.

"Is that Seshiro I see?"

Down at the other end, Satoshi and Kiana appeared with wide happy smiles as Seshiro turned around to greet them, getting glomped by Kiana almost immediately.

"SESHIRO!" She squeaked excitedly, squeezing him tight as he stumbled back before stepping away. In that moment of contact, Seshiro was reminded of her attractive body and good looks. She had a sharp face, with eyes that pierced like knives if you were on the receiving end of her glare, one that would paralyze you if she chose to do so. Her raven black hair was tied into a tight pony tail that trailed all the way down her back and stopping just above her legs. She wore a simple vest that barely contained her rather well developed breasts, and short shorts only added to the temptations of her body, showing off her slender legs. She wore gloves on both hands, hiding scars from there training of her keke genkai.

Satoshi smiled behind her, waiting for his turn to greet his old friend. His hair was short frazzles of dark brown, matching his eyes. He had the kindest face ever, with brawn to match. He was probably the tallest of the group, wearing a dark blue shirt with the sleeves torn off to show off his bulgy biceps, his jeans the same color with a hole at the knee.

"You bastard, your supposed to send me a letter when you were coming back," Satoshi said teasingly as Seshiro was lead by Kiana over to him.

"When did I ever say that?" Seshiro asked, grinning back. "Its good to see you old friend."

"Like wise," Satoshi agreed, taking Seshiros hand in his and clapping an arm over his back.

"Lots have changed since you left," Satoshi told him as they parted. "We live on our own now."

"I noticed," Seshiro replied, tilting his head a bit. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course you can join us!" Kiana answered before Satoshi could say the same. "We steal more food then we need anyway."

"And you can take over as leader," Satoshi said with confidence. "We need some one with more confidence."

"psh," Seshiro grunted. "You sure that would settle nicely with the other two you got here?"

"Who? Seichi an Aika? Nah, they wont question it." Satoshi assured him.

"Whats your keke genkai?" The voice of Seichi asked behind Satoshi, the teen looking a little miffed at the change.

"Shut up Seichi, he doesn't need to show you," Kiana spat.

"He's blind too, what use would he be?" Seichi continued despite the glares he was receiving.

"I'll show you," Seshiro said calmly. He tilted up his head to reveal the black collar clasped around his neck, and he pulled up on the chain attached to the side, the excess lifting out of his pocket until he pulled it out of his shirts and handed the end to Kiana.

Satoshi gave a small grin. It was rare to see this, and everytime Seshiro showed his curse, it seemed to bring him automatic respect and awe.

Seshiro's other hand went up to his blindfold, and slowly pulled down, making sure he would open his eyes to glare at Seichi.

The boys reaction was like all the others. His eyes went wide in amazement as two floppy pointed dog ears appeared in his hair, and his pale snow white iris' stared out at him with animalic ferocity.

"if Kiana didn't hold the leash, he'd probably rip you into pieces" Nata told him, hearing Seshiro growl.

Satoshi smiled as Seichi took a slight step back in fear, and stepped beside Seshiro and replaced the blindfold over Seshiro's eyes. The dog ears shrank back, and Kiana let go of the leash before Seshiro tucked it back under his shirts and into his pocket.


	2. Fighting Already?

They spent most of the remaining daylight creating a place for Seshiro to sleep. Nata left, saying she would be back soon with something for him, though she wouldn't tell him what it was.

First thing they did was spend about half an hour calculating a good place to blast away at the wall without having it collapse completely. They chose a spot near the end of the dock, and everyone stood back as Satoshi stepped up to it.

He balled his left fist as he drew his arm back, his muscles and veins pulsing as if in expectation as the chakra gathered into his strength, and he punched forward, his knuckles coming within an inch of touching the wall before a large hole exploded inward, the stone shattering into rubble, leaving a perfectly circular cave.

"Seichi, will you do the honors?" Satoshi asked kindly as he stepped back. Seichi rolled his eyes and nodded, still a little annoyed that he didn't get chosen as leader. He climbed over the rather large pile of rubble until it was all behind him and he did an about face with out lifting both feet, rapidly making three hand signs before throwing his palms outward and walked forward.

All the rubble groaned and shuffled forward as if pushed by an invisible bulldozer. Seichi walked it out to the edge of the dock and the giant pile splashed into the water, leaving the cave empty for them to do as they please.

"You didn't really have to blow another hole in the wall for me…" Seshiro said with a laugh.

"Of course we had too!" Kiana replied.

"Now we just need something for you to sleep on," Satoshi said thoughtfully, scratching his chin.

"Lets just go steal from that sewing lady in the market," Nata said.

"Good idea," Seshiro agreed.

-------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, Satoshi and Seshiro were venturing out into the street, keeping there eyes to the ground, trying to blend into the background, becoming unnoticed by the common street wanderers, middle and upper class alike. Seshiro kept his hand on Satoshi's back to guide him as they made there way to the flea market with hopes of stealing a few blankets and maybe even a sleeping bag.

The street was mostly empty when they got there, a chill wind from an ocean breeze making it almost unbearably cold, Seshiro and Satoshi getting the worst of it because they lacked more then one layer of clothing.

Seshiro could feel all the eyes of the vendors upon them, knowing any young boy that walked the shops at this unusual time could be a potential thief.

Satoshi's gaze fell toward the end of the flea market shops, where the woman who sold hand knit blankets and other things was located. Her shop happened to be the very last before the road continued on further toward the Hokage's palace.

"Stay here," Satoshi whispered to Seshiro before stepping ahead and jumping up the wall of a nearby building at the speed of a blinking eye.

Seshiro shivered, hugging himself and he hobbled over to the lee of the wall to wait for Satoshi to return. He hated the winter months, and he might louse another toe if he didn't get a fresh pair of shoes soon…

"Stop it!" A young girls voice whined a little further up from where he stood. A little boy started crying beside her as two teenagers started sniggering.

"Pay us and we'll let you go" One them said between there snide chuckling.

"I don't have anything!" the girl protested. "Please, don't hurt him any more!"

Seshiro tilted his head a little to the side to get a better picture of the scene, using the many sound waves and scents that bounced through the air. The girl was no older then eight, hugging who he assumed was her younger brother as they sat huddled on the ground while the two older boys stood over them, one carrying a thick stick over his shoulder.

"Then we'll have to think of something else to…relieve your debt," he said slyly with a tone that scent a twinge through Seshiro's conscience. He couldn't stand still any longer and let two perverted adolescents have their way with the poor girl.

"Hey!" he yelled, turning the corner and walking towards them with balled fists.

The two teenagers looked up with angry stares at the one who was interrupting their fun.

"Leave them alone," Seshiro demanded as he came closer, receiving the reaction he expected. A burst of hysterical laughter.

"And what are you gonna do blindey?" The closest of the two asked snottily.

Almost on its own, Seshiro's fist punched straight into the bullies fist as he closed the distance between them, making the boy stumble back and fall on his butt, his hands flying to his bloody nose with a cry of pain.

His friend with the bat gaped, but recovered quickly and charged straight for Seshiro with the bat swinging down toward Seshiro's head.

Before he could think, Seshiro grabbed the boys wrist, pulling down as he brought his knee up into the boys stomach.

Seshiro watched him fall to the ground, gasping for air as he curled up.

Breaking the stick in half on his thigh, Seshiro tossed its remains to the side. "You two are pathetic," he spat before turning to the two frightened children. The little boy had stopped crying, staring up at Seshiro in awe. The girl held the same expression as they got to their feet.

"Go home," he told them calmly.

The girl bit her lip as if she was about to say something, but nodded and bowed.

"Thank you," she said quietly before leading her little brother away. At that moment, Seshiro realized a small crowd had formed behind him, drawn to the commotion. He felt uneasy with dozens of staring eyes.

Satoshi appeared, breaking through them with a sleeping bag slung over his shoulder and a blanket in his hand, a stern look on his face as he grabbed Seshiro by the arm and pulled him away.

"You can't be doing that…" he muttered when he felt they were a safe distance away. "You'll start drawing unwanted attention to us."

"I couldn't just stand there," Seshiro replied hastily. "Besides, we needa start gaining a good reputation if were gonna be thieves."

"What…are you talking about?" Satoshi asked in utter confusion. "Not only do thieves already have bad reps, were gonna make unnecessary enemies doing that"

"Think about it Satoshi," Seshiro said as if he came up with a brilliant idea. "If we do good deeds around this town, we can make tons of allies."

"I don't see what your getting at…" Satoshi said, still confused.

"It'll be slow, but the more we help people, the willing they'll be to help us. How do you think I survived on my own?"

"I think your expecting too much of these people." Satoshi answered.

"Just trust me."

Satoshi sighed and just nodded. He had forgotten, no matter how weird or unlikely Seshiro's plans seemed to be, somehow, someway, he had a gift of making it work out perfectly. Several of them he remembered, helped them out with getting extra food at the orphanage.

"Anyway, your stunt back there distracted most of the shopkeepers long enough for me to grab a few extra things," Satoshi said, unwrapping the blanket out on the ground in front of him. He had mostly snagged some fruit, but along side the pile of apples and pears, there was a kunai knife, a necklace with an amethyst pendant, and a long, silky blue ornamental feather. Satoshi took this feather, and stuck it in between Seshiro's ear and blindfold.

"What's this for?" Seshiro asked, brushing his hand around its soft fringes.

"A symbol that your our leader," Satoshi answered, crouching back down to his stolen goods. "I thought it would look cool."

Seshiro chuckled and nodded. "And I'm guessing the necklace for Kiana?" He said with a sly smile, knowing Satoshi would blush brighter then a ripe tomato.

"How…how'd you know?" Satoshi stuttered a bit, his cheeks glowering a deep flush as he tossed the kunai knife up so Seshiro could snatch it from mid air.

"you've liked her since the day she arrived at the orphanage," Seshiro replied as his arm snapped out and in, pocketing the knife at his waist. "in fact, we should bring her with us tomorrow morning and get more of these," he adds, tapping the newly acquired knife.

"You should bring Nata too," Satoshi replied with the same sly smile he had received before, putting the necklace in his pocket and tying the blanket up with the fruit inside.

Seshiro laughed a little, blushing himself. "She is a good pickpocket…" He replied as they started walking again back to the docks.

Waiting at the hideout, everyone was gathered at the entrance with Seichi, among them a young girl Seshiro had never seen before. She had long, pale blonde hair that stretched in small wavy strands down to the base of her spine. Her skin was albino white, yet her eyes were a flaming dark green. He could swear, staring into her gaze felt as if she was looking through his physical body and seeing into his true being. "She must be…Aika…" he thought to himself.

"So is it true?" Kiana's excited voice pierced through his thoughts and tore him away from Aika. "Did you really beat up two Bakumi's in like three seconds?"

"Bakumi's?" Seshiro said with a raised eyebrow. "Wait…how'd you know before I even got here?"

"News travels fast around here," Seichi told him, his tone the exact opposite of Kiana's. he was leaning up against the wall as always, crossing his arms with his head facing the ground. "The Bakumi's are the local gang that controls the crime in this town. And now, they're going to seek revenge and retaliate on us, thanks to you."

"And?" Seshiro replied calmly. "You not up for a fight?" he said, expecting a reaction like this from the young boy.

Seichi looked indignant, opening his mouth to retort, but Nata cut him off.

"None of them are gening," she told Seshiro, cracking her knuckles.

Seshiro beamed, loving her confidence.

"I'd love a good fight!" Kiana added, punching her palm in front of her.

Seshiro's eyes drifted back to the same little girl he had seen before, and tilted his head a little.

"We havn't introduced you two, have we?" Satoshi said, changing the subject completely. "Seshiro this is Aika," He introduced as he stepped toward the girl. "Aika, this is Seshiro, a long time friend of ours from the orphanage."

The young girl nodded and bowed, not making a single sound.

""What's your Genkai?" Seshiro Asked curiously.

"She can summon a phoenix," Satoshi answered for her. "She's mute for the moment, so your going to have to forgive her."

"Good to meet you," Seshiro said with a nod of understanding, and turning to the others, he began to think of a plan. "Any idea when the Bakumi's might retaliate?" he asked everyone. And everyone, shook there heads.

"Then we have a waiting game.." he said tentatively.


	3. The Bakumi Retaliation

Seshiro sat on the top ledge of their stairway that descended to the entrance of his new home, sharpening the second kunai knife Nata had given him with a flint she owned. He let his left leg dangle over the edge of the wall, his right bent up in a triangle with his foot flat on the edge of the wall.

He glanced down at the hideout below, seeing nothing but water flowing up against the wooden posts of the dock covered in brine and various shells. It was as if the hideout was never there.

It was interesting how well the illusion fit, and Seshiro had to compliment Seichi on a job well done. Not only was his barriers protective and nearly impenetrable, it could act as the perfect camouflage as well, giving him the perfect advantage of a surprise attack.

Behind the mirage, Satoshi, Kiana, and Nata were ready to set off three consecutive traps, one built for each day they had waited for the Bakumi gang to come and try to exact their revenge on Seshiro.

Takumi stood guard over Aika, who Seshiro had learned was weak and frail, unable to fight unless she was able to Summon, which according to Satoshi, drained her almost completely of her energy and chakra.

Another day was passing, and still no sign of any retaliation. Seichi guessed they were gathering their numbers, which they would use to intimidate not only there victim, but everyone else, causing the fear that kept their authority alive in the town.

The sun was slowly lowering over the horizon, its orange rays piercing acoss the sky like bright arrows of light. Seshiro couldn't remember the last time he had been able to see the full colors of the sunset. His sight was a black and white mental picture from all his other working senses.

He sighed, moving to climb off the wall and switch guard duty with Takumi, when his sensitive hearing picked up the thunderous stomping of hundreds of feet against the ground.

Finally, he thought to himself, an excited grin crossing his face. He glanced down to where he knew Nata and Satoshi were kneeling, intending for his smile to tell them their enemy was approaching.

Not much later, Seshiro could see the sound waves bouncing off he walls and reflecting the large mob of about thirty bakumis, all wearing their colors of blue and black on there clothing in some form or another, each possessing some sort of weapon. Clubs and swords were carried over shoulders, while others fitted brass knuckles over their hands. Seshiro laughed as the street was cleared of innocent bystanders, all of them running to their homes, locking their doors and shutting windows. Everything was silent except for the marching gang of thugs.

Seshiro waited patiently, continuing to sharpen his knife until they were only a few feet from him, their leader holding up his hand to stop them all. He was unusually tall, carrying two kodachi's in his hands. Beside him were the two boys he had beaten up before, one looking absolutely goofy with a three or four layers of gauze over his nose, making it seem unusually large.

"That him?" The leader asked in a curt voice. Both of them nodded vigorously, both growing smirks at the fact that he was completely alone, and their revenge was going to be sweet.

"that's him Katsu," the other said.

The leader turned to Seshiro, raising his eye brow at him as he continued to sharpen the kunai knife in his hand.

"You don't seem to worried your death is minutes away," the leader said pointedly. "You must be fool."

Seshiro shook his head. "Not worried at all," he replied as he continued sharpening.

Katsu blinked. He outnumbered this boy thirty to one, and he wasn't on his knees begging for mercy like all the others. Katsu wasn't use to this reaction, and it fueled up his short temper.

"I'll have to show you some respect then," he growled, taking a step forward, holding his blades out malevolently.

Before he could take another step, Seshiro flicked his wrist, flinging the kunai into Katsu's eye before he could take a step closer and the boy fell to the ground, screaming in pain with the kunai sticking out of his eye.

Suddenly the barrier fell and there hide out was revealed for a minute, and Sataoshi and Nata could be seen crouched beside a few small, handmade catapults that they launched by violently pulling on a string, throwing smoke bombs into the mob where Kiana, who stood behind them, held her hands out, palms open at the bombs as they flew through the air, her eyes glinting for a split second before all of them exploded, causing panic and confusion amongst the gang members.

Nata pulled on the second set, sending a large ball of metal blades, fragments and other sharp objects they had melded together into the already baffled Bakumi's, and Nata once again held her hands out to the air, her eyes glinting before the ball exploded in the middle of everyone, sending shrapnel in every direction. Screams erupted from the clouds of smoke, and all hell broke loose within, some of the injured gang members drawing there weapons and swinging them around in a blind, mad panic, attacking eachother in the frenzy.

Seshiro held up his hand before they would launch the third trap, deciding he wanted to have some fun. He jumped off the wall, pulling down his blind fold and summoning the cursed spirit within him forward. The dog ears grew out from his head once again, his snow white eyes flashing with ferocity as he jumped into the crowd of armed gang members, a faint spiritual glow surrounding him as if the dog creature itself was growing out from his body, giving him extra claws and fangs as he roared and attacked the bakumi's without hesitation or restraint.

Soon, the screams increased in number before they were cut off by a bark or roar, until all the cries were silenced, and the smoke slowly cleared, showing the results of the hidden massacre. Bodies laid torn and ripped across the street, some injured badly but still panting and whimpering in pain.

Katsu was still alive, his leg ripped off and thrown a few feet of away, the blade sticking sharply out of his eye.(no pun intended) Seshiro stood in the middle of the bloodied mass, his growls low and content as he stood there, covered in his victims blood, most of it smeared across his cheeks and fans. Satoshi blinked, swearing he could see an aura in the shape of a dog around him before it faded and disappeared. He ran out into the battle field, knowing if he let any more time pass with Seshiro out of control, there would be little hope getting the blind fold back over his eyes.

"Seshiro…Seshiro, its me," he said firmly, approaching his friend with caution. The teens frosty white eyes gazed at him with an apprehensive guard, but it relaxed a little as Satoshi became familiar to him.

As soon as he saw his friends expression change, he stretched out his hand in a non threatening way, letting Seshiro sniff it a little before Satoshi reached to his neck and he pulled the blindfold back up over his eyes.

Almost immediately, Seshiro slumped to his knees with a long whine, sniffling in the midst of what looked to be a warzone.

Seichi blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Wow…so much for a fearless leader…" he remarked to the others.

"He still has a conscience, you insensitve jackass," Kiana snapped at him before she and nata ran out to Seshiro's side to comfort him, leaving Seichi feeling embarrassed and insulted.

Seshiro sniffled a little, curling into the kind arms that embraced him, hearing Nata and Kiana coo him gently. "Its okay…its okay…" they told him.

After a few minutes of this, Seshiro had ceased his crying, wiping at his nose and looking around, sniffing the air, and a slight grin appeared at the corner of his lips. "He's still alive…" he said, almost excitedly.

"Who?" Nata asked, looking around at the all the disembodied corpses, looking for one that was still breathing.

Seshiro got to his feet and slowly walked toward where Katsu still laid with the large kunai sticking out of right his eye, shreds of bloody flesh stringing out on the sidewalk to show his left leg was ever there. He was breathing heavily, having two spots where he was still bleeding quite heavily. Seshiro kneeled at his side, peeling open Katsu's other eye with a wider grin as the boy stared up in fear.

"Now whose worried?" Seshiro said with a cruel edge in his voice, crossing his legs beneath him and taking a comfortable seat. "were gonna play question and answer. If you answer truthfully, we move on to the next question, and I let you die peacefully. Lie, and this happens"

He casually flicked the kunai stuck in Katsu's eye with a finger, making the boy scream in pain as the whole right side of his head and face exploded in an excruciating pain. 

"You understand?" Seshiro asked as Katsu's cries reduced back to whimpers. The boy nodded slowly.

"Are you the main leader of the Bakumi's?" was the first question.

"No…" Katsu moaned truthfully.

"Who is then?" Seshrio asked.

"I don't know…" Katsu replied. Seshiro heard his heart suddenly increase in its already rapid pulse, and his pupils dialated.

"Wrong," he said, and as he had warned katsu he flicked the kunai again, this time with a little more force, and he watched Katsu scream and wither with pain. "Whose your master?" he asked again.

"Ichiro Resuki!" Katsu screamed, still twitching and crying. "He lives on the other end of town!"

"Where exactly?" Seshiro asked.

"I know," Satoshi answered in place of Katsu. "he's one of the richest entrenpeurs in this place. He lives in this giant mansion on Bragen Street."

Seshiro nodded his thanks to Satoshi, glancing back down at Katsu. "Is he well protected?"

Katsu nodded, huffing. "You'll never get through…" he gasped as he began to get close to the last moments of his life.

"We'll see about that…" Seshiro replied. "Satoshi, will you please end his miserable life?"

Satoshi nodded. "Gladly," and with that, he raised his foot and slammed the kunai knife down through the rest of Katsu's skull, and the boys twitching ceased. Seshiro reached out and pulled out the blood covered knife with a squelch.

"Eeewww…" Nata groaned.

"What are you planning?" Kiana asked him as he took Katsu's shirt and wiped at the blade.

"I think he plans on taking out the entire Bakumi gang…" Satoshi said with an apprehensive tone.

"Yup," Seshiro said, ridding the last of the blood on the dead katsu and placing it into the pouch on his thigh.

"Your kidding me," Kiana said with the same apprehensive tone that Satoshi carried. "You cant take out an entire gang.."

"Cut of the head, and the rest of the snake will die," Seshiro, quoting his father as he stood up. "if we don't, they'll keep sending wave after wave of there members to retaliate for killing their friends."

"that's true.." Kiana admitted.

"So we have to infiltrate this guys mansion and kill him?" Nata said excitedly, a smile growing on her lips. "Fun!"


	4. The Conspiracy

Kiana sat wiht her legs curled up to her chest and her arms hugging her knees, the fire in front of her flickering its orange glow over her worried eyes. Satoshi and seshiro had been gone for hours, and the longer they were gone, the higher her anxiety seemed to climb. 

A long yawn behind her made her glance over her shoulder to see Takumi rubbing his eyes as he sat up to get ready to take his watch for the rest of the night.

"Your still a..awake?" he yawned as he slipped out of his sleeping bag and crawled over to sit at her side near the fire pit.

""Seshiro and Satoshi havn't come back yet..." she answered quietly, staring intently into the fire to try and hide how worried she really was, knowing her eyes betrayed her emotions easily.

"They'll be fine," Takumi told her with another yawn, still trying to wake up completely. Their supply of coffee had ran out the week before, and now he could only shake his head to throw off the sleepiness on his mind. "I thought Nata was supposed to take the watch after you..."

"I told her she would take both our shifts..." Kiana explained. "And i'm willing to take yous too," she added.

Takumki shook his head again, "Its my turn, I'm trying to condition my body to stay awake around this time," he replied, warming his hands on the fire. "Sleeping pattern you know. But your welcome to stay awake with me if you want. "

Kiana nodded slightly with a small smile. "Like you could force me to go to sleep anyway.." she said, lifting her head a little to look at him. "Do you think Seshi and Satoshi will be okay?" she asked finally, looking for a cure for her fears.

Takumi only shrugged though, not giving her the reassuring 'yes' she was looking for. "You never know," he said honestly.

-

While Kiana sat in worry in front of a warm fire, Seshiro was on the other side of town, trying not to shiver in the chilly air as he balanced himself on the ledge of the second story wall, his body cloaked in the dark shadow he had bent with Jut-su to hide him from any prying eyes that might glance up and spot him. He had been standing thier for almost half an hour, waiting for the the boss of the Bakumi gang to be alone in his room, which was more then likely to be a while longer, as the servants remained in the room with Resuki, waiting for their master for some kind of important guest that was fashionably late.

They knew someone of great significance was arriving at the mansion, as the security had been multiplied overnight, adding extra challenges to their inflitration fo teh mansion, Seshiro almost getting caught twice for it not had been for quick thinking mixed in with bit of luck. Now, he was still waiting for the servants to leave, his body hard pressed against the bricked wall and his bones beginning to get stiff and achey. He leaned his head away from the wall for a moment, using his senses to locate Satoshi.

He spotted his freind hiding perfectly still and silent in the thick bushes that grew below his feet, and feeling assured that his back up was in position, he returned his attention to the room on the other side of the wall.

Resuki, a large blob of fat (covered only in a simple robe) with no hair except for a pointy beneath his bulgy round nose, his small piggy eyes almost disappearing under multiple folds of skin. He sat on an elaborate bed with trays of food placed all around him on circular shelves that were built into the tall bed posts for that very reason. Resuki had been chewing on chicken legs and englufing handfuls of sushi with disgusting smacks of his lips.

"Where is he?!" Resuki barked, angrily, "He's never on time, that bastard!"

As if on cue, the doro swung open, and a shock shot through Seshiro's chest as a high ranking Chu-nin entered the room with the symbol of the village hidden in the waves eteched in the metal of his headband. His armor betrayed his position, as it was reserved for only those achieved power just beneath the Hokage. It was made of black plates that consiste of a spectial type of metal that seemed thin and malleable, when in fact was harder then steele and iron, but still maintained a light weight that didn't hinder the Chunins movement. He must've been in his late fifties, though he was still in top physical shape, but his eyes. His eyes were faded and gray, with a stare that seemed to scare the servants to the point where one was shivering where he stood.

"Aaah, finally!" Resuki greeted the man with annoyance in his tone. "you may leave us now," he ordered at his servants, who gladly rushed for the door as the man took a seat across from Resuki,.

"Why do you summon me when were so close to our inevitable victory?" the chunin growled.

"My numbers has fallen quite short recently," Resuki humphed. "We lost many in what was supposed to be a retalliation against a small group of kids, and even more after a ew rumors were spread that some demonic dog creature was after the entire Bakumi gang. I need an extra week to recruit some fresh meat..."

The chunin raised an eyebrow as he sat back in his chair. "How many have you lost?" he asked.

"Over a hundered in the fight. More then two hundred have just up and quit in fear," Resuki answered. "That brings us down to only three hundred. Not even close enough to storm a castle. Not to mention, I still need to hold some back in case my men are killed in a failed attempt "

The chunin grinned with a chuckle, shaking his head. "You will send ALL your men to attack the Hokage Castle," he demanded, holding his hand up before Resuki could utter a word of protest. "remember, you will serve only as a distraction, as i and my associates take the Hokage Hostage. And besides, so what if they all die?" he asked. "When were finished, i will have thousands of men under your control."

At this last sentence, Resuki gave a broad grin that could of matched the Chunin's own. "I understand," he said. "Everything will go as planned."


	5. Assination Gone Wrong

A thunder of barking below from the rotweilers made Seshiro gasp as his freind was forced from his hiding place, but before he could jump down to help, the brick wall that he stood against crumbled away as the ninja's arms grasped him about the neck and pulled him in, making an even bigger hole then he had with his arm.

"Now what do we have here?" the chunin hissed as Seshiro kicked and struggled in his choke grip, "A little spy..."

Seshiro threw his foot back right into the mans crotch, pulling away the moment the man let go, reaching for his Kunai knife and threw it hard into the surprised Resuki's throat. He span around just in time to block a punch from the enraged ninja, and countered it with anohter kick to the crotch, but his foot was grabbed before it could make contact and Seshiro was spun around and lifted into the air, before he was thrown into the door which broke off its hinges from his weight with a crash.

"Bastard!" The mysterious chunin sceamed, seeing Resuki's eyes roll into the back of his head as blood spilled out from his neck and down his multiple skin folds. Seshiro jumped to his feet and threw a few jut-su signs together and pointing them at the room. "Demons Roar!" he shouted, and a blast of force echoed from his hands, causing everyone in the vicinity to cover their ears, screaming as a loud howl blew away the west wing of Resuki's mansion. Without warning, the ninja teleported in front of him and punched him hard in the face, and Seshiro stumbled back in a daze before falling over the stair way banister. As he fell, Seshiro shifted his body weight perfectly to land on his feet, his senses already back to normal, and he jumped back as the ninja came crashing down, making a cloud of chakra explode from his fist and destroying the floor where Seshiro had stood seconds before. The ninja teleported again behind Seshiro, but the boy was ready and his form disappated the second the Chunin tried to attack, and the real Seshiro appeared above him, another kunai in his hand that spread into eight as he threw it. It became obvious the ninja was extremely skilled as he jumped out of the path of each knife that thwoked into the floor, and teleported again when Seshiro landed on the ground.

Breathing heavily, Seshiro brought himself into focus, trying to find the chunin with his nose and ears. SLASH! A blade appeared and sliced open his right side, SLASH! It reappeared on his other side, hacking open his rib cage, SLASH! Straight across his back, and predictably it appeared in front of him, but Seshiro jumped back just in time and fell to the floor, spinning his foot at invisible legs and tripped the chunin in mid-teleport.

"Oof!" was all he needed to hear as the Chunin fell on his back, and Seshiro took off through the house, leaving a trail of his blood in his footsteps as he desperately made his way for the exit.

But to no avail. The sword point appeared in front of his face and he forced himself to a stop before his entire head would be impaled, and he stumbled back.

The Chunin stood still, keep the sword pointed at Seshiro with that maniacal grin fixed on his face. He didn't step toward his prey as it continued to stagger backward, his blood spilling all over the polished floor.

"You fight unusually well for a blind kid," he said with a chuckle, "If you didn't hear our little conversation, i would have gladly asked you to join me."

"I wouldn't join some retarded ninja bent on overthrowing the Hokage," Seshiro spat, trying to ignore the intense pain that was throbbing through his whole abdomen. The chunin chuckled, taking a step toward Seshiro.

"Well thats too bad," He said with another grin. "You won't have a chance to join anyone now."This time it was Seshiros turn to smile. He still had a chance against the ninja, but it was a risky one. Without anyone to replace the blindfold, he could assume the demonic form for hours before he'd be able to wrestle back the fury and put it back on himself after slaughtering hundreds to slate the creatures thirst for blood. But at the moment, he had no choice and tore it off, stuffing it into his pocket and snarling as his fingers grew claws and his mouth grew fangs, his dog ears flopping out from beneath his hair. The chunin's grin disappeared immediately to be replaced with utter fear, his sword arm starting to quiver as his confidence diminished.

"A..a demon?" he gasped, wondering if this was the same as what Resuki was talking of earlier. Seshiro grinned, his heavy wounds healing almost instantly with the dog demons power and he launched himself with snarl onto the chunin, biting down on his throat and tearing it out in the blink of an eye. The demon in him began eating at the flesh for a moment before tunring away, glaring at the rest of the house and smelling the presence of the remaining servants who were running and screaming from the first initial blast.

Satoshi had been able to escape the moment Seshiro had destroyed the west wing of the mansion, the shrapnel of shattered brick and wood having crashed down on the guards he had been fighting and knocking them out cold, giving him a chance to run out into the city. A cold shiver had gone down his spine when he saw Seshiro bounding off into the city after the fleeing servants minutes later, hoping Seshiro had enough sense to keep the blind fold on him so Satoshi could return him to normal. Ignoring the pains of his wounds, he ran after Seshiro, hoping it wasn't too late before Seshiro would enter the full rage of the demon and go on a killing spree. Their was a scream as Seshiro leapt onto another servants back, clawing and gnashing his teeth as he tore the flesh away of the poor man with the rigor and ease of a lion at a gazzele. With a snarl, he took off again, heading towards residential homes with glee and blood lust.

"Stop it Seshiro!" Satoshi screamed, jumping into his path. Seshiro swiped at him, but missed as Satoshi ducked and dodged behind him, snagging the blindfold from his pocket as he did. Seshiro whipped around, growling with rage, his eyes narrowing at his freind. "Seshi, its me!" Satoshi cried, jumping again as Seshiro lunged at him.

"Forgive me for this," he said, throwing his fist forward and sending blasting Seshiro's chest with harsh kinetic energy. The dog demon was lifted off his feet and crashed into a nearby building, leaving his body imprinted into the cement. Taking advantage of his momentary stun, Satoshi jumped ontop of Seshiro and pulled the blindfold tightly over Seshiros eyes, tying it tightly and keeping Seshiro pinned until the dog demon subsided, and the ears retracted into Seshiro's head.

"thanks..." Seshiro mumbled quietly, trembling as he smelt the blood all over his clothes, a tear forming under the blindfold.

"No sweat.." Satoshi said sarcastically, rolling off of him and helping him to his feet, frowing as all of Seshiro's front was stained red. "You alright?" he asked, expecting the headshake Seshiro gave him.

"It was a desperate move on my part..and i murdered innocents..." he groaned, trembling still.

"Who'd you have to fight to be forced to take off your blindfold?" Satoshi asked curiously as he began leading Seshiro through the city and back towards the docks.

"A chunin..." Seshiro answered, reminded of the plot he overheard. "We have to get to the Hokage palace by tommorrow...

"Satoshi blinked, tilting his head. "Why?" he asked. "I thought you were only their to assisnate Resuki..."

"I did, but not before this ninja arrived," Seshiro replied. "Their plotting on overthrowing the Hokage...If that happens, they'll be chaos in the streets."

"Overthrow the Hokage?" Satoshi said with surprise. "Thats impossible...not only is he the top ninja, he's guarded by the elite as well."

"That ninja was an elite," Seshiro replied. "he probably WAS one of the personal guards...he has other conspirators with him, and something tells me he's not the leader of it."

"What makes you say that?" Satoshi asked.

"Just a hunch," Seshiro replied quickly. "We've got three days to get to the Hokage's…"

"And it takes two to get their," Satoshi groaned. "Remind me why we have to get involved with this?" he asked. "All we needed to do was prevent another retaliation, that was it. Now we have to go save the entire Village, what are we, heroes?"

"Think about it Satoshi," Seshiro said irritably. "You don't think we won't be affected by an uprising? Do you think ANYONE won't be affected by an uprising? If we don't do something to stop this, no one will."

"I'm only thinking about the welfare of everyone else, Seshiro," Satoshi argued. "I didn't think you were gonna use us for the good of the world."

"I'm not using you!" Seshiro yelled angrily, stopping in his tracks. "I'm looking out for them too! I'm looking out for everyone! That's all I want, is to help!"

"What if you fail, huh?" Satoshi yelled back, "What if you get everyone killed in this crazy plan of yours to stop a bunch of megalomaniacs, who are you gonna help then, huh? No one!"

Seshiro stood silent, trembling with both anger and sadness. "I thought you had more faith in me then that Satoshi…." He said slowly. "I guess I was wrong…"

And with that, Seshiro turned away, running off into the night.


End file.
